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How could the man who came to the Benbow Inn be described?

The first few pages of Treasure Island give a fairly extensive physical and behavioral description of the man, whose name is revealed as Billy Bones, but who introduces himself simply as "captain."


Bones is said to be a fairly dirty person, with skin tanned dark brown, and a white scar on his cheek, evidently made by a sword. He wears old clothes that he patches himself, and at this point in his life they are more patches than whole cloth. He is an alcoholic, and describes himself in nearly poetic terms not as a drunkard, but as someone to whom rum is as dear as food or family. Bones is very aggressive, and evidently accustomed to giving orders rather than following them. The only person before whom he evidently has no power is Dr. Livesey, on account of Livesey having the power to see Bones hanged, and because Livesey has sufficient self-confidence to be unmoved by Bones's threats.

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